A bill co-sponsored by Assemblyman Vincent Prieto, D-Secaucus, that would make 200,000 more New Jersey residents eligible for Medicaid was approved by a committee this week.

The measure, co-sponsored by Assembly Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver, D-East Orange, now goes to a vote of the full Assembly.

According to Prieto, if passed, the bill would allow families making under $15,282 for a single person, $20,628 for a family of two, and $31,322 for a
family of four, to be eligible for Medicaid.

"This is a sound financial investment that will dramatically improve the health and well being of low-income residents struggling with little to no insurance. Doing so will help us boost preventative care, improve mortality rates, reduce the number of uninsured hospital visits and lessen the state's expense to help offset these visits," Prieto said.

If the bill is passed, the federal government will match 90 to 100 percent of state contributions to Medicaid from 2014 onward under the terms of the Affordable Care Act.